Monthly Archives: January 2014

Hey there RYPEness! Old Man Winter has a grip on us, doesn’t he? Man…and he ain’t letting up either. These desperate times call for desperate measures when it comes to staying on your workout schedule. I was combing the internet trying … Continue reading →

…showing up at the gym ready to get your “spin” on and realizing you forgot to pack your shoes.

Yep, that’s pretty much how my morning went. I had my day all planned out, starting with a nice 50 minute spin class followed by some good weight training, then off to some meetings, and finally some fun playing laser tag with my 13 year old mentee.

So why am I putting this on my blog? Well, because I want you to avoid derailing your fitness goals by always being prepared. Your gym bag should be your “ready-set-go” bag. Just like we ensure that our “essentials” are always in our purse, we should approach our gym bag the same manner. To avoid the epic fail that I experienced this morning, I suggest you keep these key things in your bag at all times:

Workout clothes. You never know what your day may throw at you! So make sure that you always have some quality workout threads (including socks!) that are ready to rock and roll whenever you are.

Gym shoes. I know, these things are not cheap. But its a good idea (I am living proof) that having an extra pair of shoes in your bag prevents missed workouts due to being rushed or simple oversight. These shoes don’t necessarily have to be your best or favorite pair. They are there to serve the purpose of back up when our brains have that occasional fart.

Workout log. Its important to keep track of your progress, if for no other reason than to see your victories! Everyone is motivated when they see themselves improving. So keep a little diary with you at all times to record your success. #motivation

Water bottle. There is nothing more annoying then being thirsty and having to go locate the water fountain. So make sure you always have a spare water bottle to fill and tote around as you move through your workout. We all know that water intake is very important!

If you have just these 4 things, the chances of you experience my Saturday morning fail diminish to nearly zero. So learn from my mistakes, and lets stay on that healthy living bandwagon!

Some months back I talked about hydration and how drinking plenty of water is essential to your healthy well-being. Whether you want shinier hair, younger skin, a healthier body (or all three!), pure, clear water is the world’s best beauty elixir. According to WebMD, here are six good reasons to drink water:

1. Drinking Water Helps Maintain the Balance of Body Fluids. Your body is composed of about 60% water. The functions of these bodily fluids include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature.

2. Water Can Help Control Calories. For years, dieters have been drinking lots of water as a weight loss strategy. While water doesn’t have any magical effect on weight loss, substituting it for higher calorie beverages can certainly help.

3. Water Helps Energize Muscles. Cells that don’t maintain their balance of fluids and electrolytes shrivel, which can result in muscle fatigue.

5. Water Helps Your Kidneys. Body fluids transport waste products in and out of cells. The main toxin in the body is blood urea nitrogen, a water-soluble waste that is able to pass through the kidneys to be excreted in the urine.

But honestly, I think we all know that we NEED to drink more water. This issue is actually doing the dang-gone thang! So check it out…one of my good friends is an avid user of the app GroupMe. She decided that she would set up a group of her friends, allow everyone to set their own goal of daily water intake, and check in periodically throughout the day on where you are with your water intake. Now…I may be just a tad more competitive than some, but I believe that everyone has a little competitive beast residing within. Those little alerts I get that simply say “60”, indicating that someone has consumed 60 ounces of water at that point, serves as a reminder for me to go drink a glass…or two. It has been really cool to watch how everyone in the group has ramped up, if for no other reason than to stay competitive with the group. And at the end of the day, you have had a little fun…maybe edged out your competition, but most importantly….you got a good, heavy dose of that wonderful clear goodness that our bodies REQUIRE.

So try it! Have fun with it! And then watch how the health benefits of a little friendly competition translate into beautifulness inside and out!!

Hey there RYPEness! So now that everyone is gung-ho and full-swing into their fitness resolutions, lets talk about trying to stay injury free (as to not derail any of our momentum!) Over the years we have seen a significant increase in … Continue reading →

It’s 2014 babeeeeee! The slate is clean, time to start anew? Everyone has probably jotted down their New Years Resolution, and gung-ho about getting it done. Ya know what? I HATE New Years Resolutions! Probably sounds crazy…but more often than not our resolutions end up being these lofty goals that get lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We are all looking for this magical feeling that’s going to overcome us and make us suddenly focus on these things that we were never able to accomplish before, or this brand new “you” to emerge from the dust that ushered out 2013 and delivered you into a new year. Well…those are the things that myths are made of. You can’t all of a sudden think that bad habits will just go away cause you make it part of a resolution. You also cant think that a “new you” is going to suddenly appear. We are, like it or not, unable to go get a NEW you.

So…let’s change our thinking. Let’s instead, love you for who you are…through and through…first and foremost. God created you, how dare you not like YOU!! Next, let’s approach these changes by NOT saying you are creating a new you, but instead saying that you are going to implement things to IMPROVE the amazing person that you already are. See how coming at it from that angel can relieve a lot of stress? It’s a major load to carry if you are walking around thinking that you are less than, not good enough, or simply not enough. You are…and you have things that you can work on to increase your greatness….JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!

If it’s losing weight, eliminating debt or doing your first triathlon…write your goal down and then create a task list to move towards that goal. Once you create the task list, let that be your focus. Concentrating on the big picture can be totally overwhelming. So instead, if your goal is to do a triathlon, then focus on first finding a group that trains folks to do triathlons (like Realizing Your Potential Everyday) and sign up for their program. BAM! That’s a task crossed off of the list…and crossing that one task off will provide you with such a boost of energy and gratification that you are excited about moving on to task #2. Maintain those progressive baby steps and next thing you know you are crossing the finish line…without ever having derailed yourself because you got consumed with the big picture. Make sense?

2014 (just like EVERY YEAR) is your time to shine boo!! If I take a light bulb and rub it in mud and tar and other stuff that represent the stress that we put on ourselves, the concern about things you have no control over, and the inability to see beauty…once I plug that bulb into the lamp, its light will be dull and dark. Shake off the bullshit!! Wipe away regrets. Dust off loss. Scrub the mess and guess what? Your light shines bright for all to see! This is a line from one of my favorite poems and I think its something that EVERYONE should internalize daily: “We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.”

Now…lets develop our task list, and start removing the muck from our light bulbs. This IS your year…time to see the improved model! LETS GO GET IT!!